1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a home location register management system having a database in the mobile radio communication network. Especially, it relates to a home location register management system and a database management method provided in a home location register (HLR) in the mobile radio communication network by which a plurality of application programs provided in the HLR have access to a database system of the HLR in a simultaneous manner, performing a database management operation with a view to rapidly answering the request of plural mobile subscribers for various services.
2. Description of Related Art
A home location register normally provided in the mobile radio communication network is located at a fixed position in a given network with respect to a plurality of mobile subscribers and has the function of an intra-network database to manage subscriber and location information for offering communication services. The home location register is connected to a plurality of mobile exchanges, which control communications with plural mobile subscribers.
FIG. 1 is a concept diagram of a mobile radio communication network illustrating radio communications between a general home location register and a plurality of mobile exchanges.
Referring to FIG. 1, when plural mobile subscribers 21a-21n and 31a-31n in request for a communication service or supplementary service, mobile exchanges 12 and 13 receive a radio signal for this via an usual signal path and, if any information retrieval or change is needed, gain access to a database provided in a home location register 11 in a predetermined sequence, executing required operations. The home location register 11 is connected to a plurality of mobile exchanges 12-14 for mutual mobile radio communications.
The related mobile exchanges are in communications with the home location register 11 to exchange information via a protocol such as IS-41C such that each of them receives information with attributes concerning information retrieval or change as it requested.
A database management method by the conventional home location register 11 will be described below in connection with FIG. 2.
For example, a mobile subscriber requests for a database management such as call connection, supplementary service, or change of location information. Sensing the request of the mobile subscriber, a related mobile exchange gets in communications for information with the home location register 11 via a protocol such as IS-41C, transferring the service function requested by the mobile subscriber to the home location register 11. It means, mutual communications are established between the application programs provided in each mobile exchange and the home location register 11. The plural application programs provided in the home location register 11 gain access to the database system built in the home location register 11 in the order of priority predetermined based on the property of the service requested by the mobile subscriber, retrieving or changing information.
As shown in FIG. 2, a database management system (DBMS) 43 determines the final order of priority in consideration of the order of priority predetermined based on the property and content of the service requested by the mobile subscriber when a plurality of application programs 44a-44n gain access to a database 41. The reason for this is to prevent any fatal damages upon the system for managing a data stored in the database 41 in such a way that while any one of plural application programs 44a-44n is executed, the other application programs get access to the database 41 to perform a required management operation.
There may be many factors in supporting numerous subscribers and offer various services more rapidly in the mobile radio communication network. The most important factor is to improve the speed at which a plurality of application programs APs provided in the home location register gain access to the database. This is because the database management system 43 gets access to the data base in the order of priority predetermined in case where the current application program gets access to the database to perform a desired management operation.
The prior art cited in the present invention refers to the home location register (model name DCN-HLR) of SK Telecom in Korea, which can support 500 thousand mobile subscribers to the maximum. In addition, about 500 mobile subscribers per second can get access to the database of the home location register to perform a required management operation.
When a plurality of application programs get access to the database in the prior art, however, the database management system controls the application programs to gain access to the database orderly in consideration of the order of the mobile subscribers that requested the service and the order of priority predetermined by the database system itself. DCN-HLR of SK Telecom can provide services for at most about 500 mobile subscribers that corresponds to {fraction (1/1000)} of 500 thousand subscribers per second. When an excessive number of mobile subscribers (more than about 500 persons per second) request for services, there is a limitation in rapidly processing different supplementary services such as call connection because the speed at which application programs provided in the home location register gain access to the database is delayed.
Furthermore, when one subscriber requests for a service, for example, call connection, so many procedures are required to offer the service. These procedures are performed by way of communications between the respective application programs and the database. As the application programs have access to the database in the order of priority predetermined, the memory of the application programs to be used increases with an increase in the number of subscribers requesting for services.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a home location register management system and a database management method in the mobile radio communication system which are adapted to have access to a database based on the attributes related to the services simultaneously requested by a plurality of mobile subscribers and perform a desired database management operation.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure as illustrated in the written description and claims hereof, as well as the appended drawings.
In an aspect of the present invention to accomplish the object, at least two direct memory access query interfaces have access to the database provided in a home location register based on the inherent attributes of an input signal under the control of a home location register management system.
Preferably, the home register management system includes: a database provided in the home location register; a processor for analyzing an input signal and sensing the inherent attributes of information included in the input signal; a plurality of application programs receptive to the output signal of the processor to output database management commands based on the attributes; and a plurality of direct memory access query interfaces receptive to the output signals of the plural application programs to have access to a database related to the task of the corresponding application processor based on the attributes. At least two direct memory access query interfaces have access to the database simultaneously to perform an operation for managing the database.
In another aspect of the present invention to accomplish a second object, at least two direct memory access query interfaces have access to the database simultaneously based on the inherent attributes of an input signal to perform an operation for managing the database.
Preferably, a database management method of a home location register management system in a mobile radio communication system includes the steps of: analyzing an input signal and sensing the inherent attributes of information included in the input signal; receiving the input signal and outputting database management commands based on the attributes; and having access to the database simultaneously based on at least one of the attribute according to the database management commands and performing an operation for managing the database.
Accordingly, when the present invention is applied to the home location register, use of the database management system is not required and the time required for the application programs to have access to the database is reduced such that more subscribers can be supported for the same period of time and the memory of the application programs can be reduced, enhancing the performance of the home location register.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.